Huawei announces the P9 with dual Leica cameras

Huawei has announced its new flagship, the P9, which features two Leica cameras, one colour and one monochrome, that are claimed to work in tandem to produce sharper images.

The Huawei P9 is the first smartphone co-engineered with Leica following the announcement of the company’s ongoing partnership last month.

The dual-cameras feature multiple layers of lenses and can combine the images from both cameras to generate a flexible focus that can be shifted after the photo is taken.

Huawei says the system also allows the P9 to ‘truly excel’ in low-light conditions, as the dual-camera design can absorb more light than traditional smartphone cameras.

The P9 also features a 5.2-inch 1080p display and is powered by a Kirin 955 2.5GHz 64-bit ARM-based processor which should be roughly equivalent in power to Qualcomm’s recently release Snapdragon 820.

The phone has an integrated 3,000mAh battery that Huawei claims can deliver battery life equivalent to about 1.5 days.

Huawei is also releasing the P9 Plus, a larger variant featuring a 5.5-inch screen, 3,400mAh battery and a ‘Press Touch’ display that uses the same technology as the iPhone’s ‘Force Touch’ feature.

The P9 Plus offers dual-IC Rapid Charge, giving users six hours of talk time after a 10-minute charge.

At a press conference for the device’s release, Huawei made numerous comparisons to the iPhone 6s, claiming that its camera and other features were superior. The comparisons are apparent when considering the visual aesthetic of the device which uses many of the same design elements of its more successful rival.

“Huawei is excited to give P9 users the best smartphone photography experience by leveraging the unrivalled capabilities of Leica, the leader in the world of imaging for more than 100 years,” said Richard Yu, CEO Huawei Consumer Business Group.

“Consumers around the world use their smartphones to take billions of pictures each year, making photography critical to user experience. P9 users can now capture images with unmatched clarity, richness and authenticity, with a masterfully designed and powerful smartphone that looks and feels incredible.”

The P9 will be available in ‘Mystic Silver’ and ‘Titanium Grey’ at £449 for the 3GB/32G version.